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ewarnerburton's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
serenology's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Thank you to NetGalley & Random House for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
I truly contemplated on how I should rate this novel. Upon serious consideration, I'm giving this a 3.5. This is not a long story, but swallowing its contents felt like chewing on a very fatty steak. This book was very ambitious for what it was trying to achieve.
Obviously, Lady Macbeth is a reimagining of Shakespeare's Macbeth with a refocus on the titular character. In the play, her identity is solely Lady Macbeth and Reid gives her more substance in her version. Yet, this attempt at a female-centric take on one of the greatest plays in history, struggled under its own weight. Some aspects held well, but others crumbled.
The writing. This is truly Reid's shining moment here. Reid goes to great lengths to transform the nature of Shakespeare's verse and translate it into prose that resonates with the past while still comprehensible for the reader. And Reid excels at this truly. Her skill in writing well is prominent through this novel.
As for the plot and characterization, this is where it started to get rough. It tries to divert and honor the source material, but ends up ripping the script in half. Reid's Lady Macbeth has far less autonomy than Shakespeare's even though the narrative pushes for her freedom. The love interest can barely be called that as they share all of 5 scenes together. It didn't feel real, more like a tryst if anything.
The magic was fascinating in concept but it felt too clean--to convenient for the alternate plot. Lady Macbeth was not a character I was necessarily rooting for, but to be fair, all of the characters were villains in their own right--which was satisfying when vengeance was obtained.
Macbeth served as a tragedy and this was startling not so. I still question what this version offers in comparison. Nonetheless, I felt like this was a solid concept that just fell a little flat to my expectations.
I truly contemplated on how I should rate this novel. Upon serious consideration, I'm giving this a 3.5. This is not a long story, but swallowing its contents felt like chewing on a very fatty steak. This book was very ambitious for what it was trying to achieve.
Obviously, Lady Macbeth is a reimagining of Shakespeare's Macbeth with a refocus on the titular character. In the play, her identity is solely Lady Macbeth and Reid gives her more substance in her version. Yet, this attempt at a female-centric take on one of the greatest plays in history, struggled under its own weight. Some aspects held well, but others crumbled.
The writing. This is truly Reid's shining moment here. Reid goes to great lengths to transform the nature of Shakespeare's verse and translate it into prose that resonates with the past while still comprehensible for the reader. And Reid excels at this truly. Her skill in writing well is prominent through this novel.
As for the plot and characterization, this is where it started to get rough. It tries to divert and honor the source material, but ends up ripping the script in half. Reid's Lady Macbeth has far less autonomy than Shakespeare's even though the narrative pushes for her freedom. The love interest can barely be called that as they share all of 5 scenes together. It didn't feel real, more like a tryst if anything.
The magic was fascinating in concept but it felt too clean--to convenient for the alternate plot. Lady Macbeth was not a character I was necessarily rooting for, but to be fair, all of the characters were villains in their own right--which was satisfying when vengeance was obtained.
Macbeth served as a tragedy and this was startling not so. I still question what this version offers in comparison. Nonetheless, I felt like this was a solid concept that just fell a little flat to my expectations.
carigillette's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
nadih's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
daphnea's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bamamelereads's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
There’s a lot to love here, but there’s also quite a bit to find frustrating. I will say, if you are looking for a straight up Macbeth retelling, this is not it. This takes familiar characters and creates a new story with some recognizable milestones.
As always with any Ava Reid story, this is gorgeously written. There are some lines that can make you gasp with how beautifully and hauntingly they are rendered.
As far as Roscille/Lady Macbeth herself…I wanted more. I wanted a powerful woman, using her power, wielding her influence. We got some small flashes here and there. But overall, she finds herself miscalculating, not as clever as she thinks, or just plain cowed by the men around her. I didn’t want to see her shrink in upon herself.
I won’t spoil it, but I actually really enjoyed the romance subplot and how the book ended.
Not my favorite of Reid’s, but still one I would recommend, especially if you can go in with an open mind.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the preview. All opinions are my own.
As always with any Ava Reid story, this is gorgeously written. There are some lines that can make you gasp with how beautifully and hauntingly they are rendered.
As far as Roscille/Lady Macbeth herself…I wanted more. I wanted a powerful woman, using her power, wielding her influence. We got some small flashes here and there. But overall, she finds herself miscalculating, not as clever as she thinks, or just plain cowed by the men around her. I didn’t want to see her shrink in upon herself.
I won’t spoil it, but I actually really enjoyed the romance subplot and how the book ended.
Not my favorite of Reid’s, but still one I would recommend, especially if you can go in with an open mind.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the preview. All opinions are my own.
thisisadebut's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
feuermotte's review against another edition
I wasn't even sure what this was, it was so far removed from the so called reference material.
eARC provided by the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
eARC provided by the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
haliespages's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
mattjc_00's review against another edition
What a complete miss, so far from the original characters that it might as well be its own story